The Great Escape CHAPTER 1
by bumblebri4b
Summary: An unplanned story of two young tweens, who get tangled up in the feeling of love. Is it real?  will finish chapters, but probably around scattered times.


**Bluejays**. Bluejays and a steady heartbeat, that's all I heard. The beautiful summer sunrays splashed through the tall green weeping willow and onto my coppertone-colored face. I looked up at him. "Colt, what time is it?" I asked, looking into his sapphire blue eyes. His eyebrows crinckled in thought, "Um I'm guessin a little before twilight. We gotta while, do you hafta go?" he questioned, in his low southern voice. "No! I wanna stay here... I don't wanna go.." I stumbled over my words.

"Well your father will murder you if he finds out, Ashlyn. You know that," he told me. He was dead serious.

"I don't care."

"You will if he finds out."

"He won't," I reassured him.

He glanced at me with concern, and inhaled deeply. "I don't want you to get hurt again. Because of me..." he trailed off.

"It's not you! It's him! Don't say that, please..." I lifted my head off of his chest, turning to face him. I could feel the salty crocidile tears fill the rims of my hazel eyes. "Please," I repeated. "It's all his fault. Not yours." I closed my eyes. My father's image flashed into my mind, but I quickly fluttered it away.

He took my hand, and ran his thumb over my palm and up to the top of my forearm where the shiny pink scar made itself known.  
>I rose my stare to him, his thick chocolate-brown hair covering his wrinkled eyebrows, deep in thought.<p>

"Ash, _I love you_." The words that escaped his mouth made the tears spill over. The words he had sworn would never come out unless he truely discovered the meaning and passion he would have for another. It all impacted me and filled my body with **tingling** emotion, so much emotion that I reluctantly pressed my lips to his. For the first time in my life, I had felt the warmth of a kiss. It was simple at first. When our faces departed, he looked into my eyes, somewhat surprized.  
>Then, within a second, his hands had lingered to my cheeks, pulling me in for another. My eyelids slowly slid over my eyes,<br>and my whole body went numb. His lips slowly pressed against mine gently, and then the pressure grew with more force as we let our love _unfurl_. I let my lips depart and touch his again softly, and was careful not to get too carried away.

When we pulled away from eachother he took my hands and rose me up from the netted hammock of his backyard. He tucked my brown curls behind my ear, rubbing the back of his hand against my cheek. "You better get home, baby girl," he whispered. I sighed, and I knew he was right. My dad would be home in an hour.  
>"I wish I would stay with you and your momma-" as soon as the words left my lips I wanted to take them back. I cringed.<br>He exhaled silently. His mom was on lifeline. Sick with skin cancer, I knew she was in her cozy little room, lying on her bed, with IV's sticking out of her and tangled over her covers. She was diagnosed back when I had first met Colt. Last summer...

_***__It was hot and sticky outside; I was running as far away from my house as possible. My father was drunk as ever,_  
><em>and all the depression and confusion just came down on him that night. He decided to take it out on me when the dishes in the sink were dirty. Not that it wasn't a normal thing, but I could tell if I didn't get out, I would be left with scars bigger than a vetrens battle scar. "You treat me like shit Ashlyn," he yelled as he was tumbling over clothes and newspapers scattered on the floor. "Just like your damn mother!" The memory had unleashed the hurt and tears. He had driven my mother away by then with his schizophrenia, and she would never return. I knew that for a fact. He pulled a knife from the towering pile of porclian in the sink, clentching it so tightly that his knuckles were snow white. A shreik of pure terror escaped my mouth as I ducked past him, out the door and into the streets. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought might beat it's way out of my chest. I was panicking as I darted through the woods and brush, looking back at everything that tugged on my white lace shirt. The last thing I saw was a hand gripping at it before I had completely fainted out of fright. When I awoke, Colt had brought me to his place, and comforted me. It was the most care I had gotten in years.<em>  
><em>Since then, every day my dad would leave the house (which eventually became a pattern) and do who-knows-what (more like does who-knows-who..) I would visit Colt, and our relationship grew since then, it felt amazing to have someone care about you. To worry what's going to happen. To look forward to seeing you. Even to just talk to.<em>  
><em>It was undescribably amazing for me.*<em>**

"Ashlyn you can't go on like this." He hesitated to smile, "Good thing I have a solution to everything."  
>He pulled out Health~Stat Hospital card from his blue jeans. I tilted my head in confusion, "How is that gunna solve everything...?" I wondered.<br>His smile grew, "My mom can stay there. I know they would take care of her. She's on lifeline now...  
>And you and I can... go somewhere, away from this. I know it sounds kinda cliche. And a little impossible. But I've got what was left of my dad's money," he grasped my hands, "WE can do this, Ash. Your dad won't be able to hurt you anymore."<p>

It was almost too much to take in. He had never begged me to do anything. Especially something so incredibly crazy sounding. My mind was filled with movies of princesses running away with their true loves... and their happy endings.  
>Half of my brain wanted to believe that I could have that, but the other half took over and cautioned me with "what if's"<br>and "yeah right's". Whatever happened, it would spare my time with Colt, and get me away from my hatred father (if nothing went wrong...) which I deperately wanted.

I grapped his hand and smiled, "You would do that for me?" I was in such shock that my words came our shakily.  
>He kissed my forehead. "<strong>I would<strong>," he whispered.


End file.
